The video purporting to show the incident is recorded from the ground, just outside the attraction’s gate. But he stressed that FDACS would be responsible for examining any such complaints. The sheriff’s office has not gotten previous complaints about the ride, Mina said. Its inspectors will be at the site Friday “with our investigation underway,” department spokesperson Caroline Stonecipher told CNN. The agency has statewide responsibility to inspect all amusement rides in Florida, except for those at large parks that have more than 1,000 employees and have full-time inspectors on staff. State agency is investigatingįDACS will investigate issues surrounding the ride and its safety, Mina said. “The owner of the attraction is fully cooperating with authorities and ICON Park is doing everything we can to assist,” the statement reads. ICON Park released a statement saying a “tragedy occurred last night at the Orlando FreeFall and our hearts are heavy with sadness.” And this is what’s so perplexing,” he said. “We’ve been operational for almost three months. Stine said there had never been any problem with the drop tower ride. “We want to find out what happened to this young man and safety is paramount for us, both with our guests and our employees.” “Right now, the last thing on our mind is getting the ride operational,” Stine said. The ride has been closed until further notice while the incident is investigated, and the company said it is working with the sheriff’s office and officials on a full investigation. “We are devastated by what happened to this young guest of ours,” Stine told CNN Friday. In an interview with CNN, Stine said the company is heartbroken over Sampson’s death. So again, we operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind and everything is in place and this is why we’re doing an investigation,” John Stine, sales and marketing director for the Slingshot Group, which operates the ride and two others at the park, told Spectrum News 13. The boy was secured in the ride’s seat, an official with the company that operates the ride told CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13. The ride was scheduled to be inspected again by FDACS in June, midway through the permit year, according to the department.įDACS also stated the owner/operator is responsible for inspecting the amusement ride prior to opening each day of operation. No deficiencies were listed in the report. The document from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services noted the drop tower passed inspection on December 20, 2021. The ride passed a safety inspection in December before it was allowed to open, according to a safety inspection report obtained by CNN. The ride opened around Christmas last year, the company said. When the vehicle reaches the top, “it’ll tilt forward 30 degrees and face the ground before free falling nearly 400 feet at speeds reaching over 75 mph,” ICON Park’s website says. The FreeFall is a 430-foot-tall tower and ride, with a vehicle encircling the tower that takes up to 30 riders to the structure’s top. You know what, you know, why a 14-year-old young man with a bright future has been taken away from us.” Passengers strapped into seats for nearly 400-foot drop He added, “I want to know what really happened. “I saw the video of my son falling down, and I couldn’t believe (it). While holding back tears, Sampson told CNN he viewed the video of his son’s death on Facebook. He was a big teddy bear, a gentle giant,” the elder Sampson said, adding Tyre was a “kindhearted kid” who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it. Tyre was visiting Orlando with his football team over spring break, his father said. Sampson was an honor roll student and an aspiring football player, his father Yarnell Sampson told CNN. Sheriff’s investigators will determine whether the incident was an accident or intentional, and from an initial investigation, “it appears to be a terrible tragedy,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.
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